The Wine Knows - regulations

Lake Chelan AVA getting closer

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:33:19 -0400

The federal government has moved the Lake Chelan AVA one step closer to reality, as it has opened the proposal for comments, which can be submitted until Oct. 14.

Washington currently has nine AVAs: Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope, Columbia Gorge, Rattlesnake Hills and Puget Sound.

Oregon wants to shut down new self-serve AgriVino

Sat, 24 May 2008 03:16:12 -0400

Last week, we brought you the story of AgriVino, a self-serve wine-tasting room in Oregon's Yamhill-Carlton District. How things change quickly. Below is a report from Eric Degerman, Wine Press Northwest managing editor, who is working on a story about it:

New Washington AVA under consideration

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:38:57 -0400

The federal government is taking comments (press release, PDF) on the establishment of a new American Viticultural Area in Washington's Yakima Valley.

The Snipes Mountain AVA would be the state's second-smallest appellation at 4,145. About 535 acres of vineyards already are planted in the proposed region, including some of the state's oldest. Included in the region is Harrison Hill.

Mystery of Ste. Chapelle's Sparkling Riesling solved

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:03:54 -0400

Up here at Timberline Lodge, we ran into a bit of a mystery over Ste. Chapelle's Sparkling Riesling. On the bottle, it is listed as a nonvintage American wine.

Northwest Wine Summit Director Parks Redwine bet me $1 that it used California grapes, based on the fact that it says in small type on the back of the bottle: "Vinted & bottled by Ste. Chapelle, Madera, Calif."

Have travel restrictions changed your wine-buying habits?

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:09:42 -0400

Have TSA restrictions changed the way you buy wine when you're visiting another wine region?

According to a survey by BottleWise, a company that makes wine carriers, many wine travelers have significantly changed the way they handle wine purchases. Here are the results of a survey conducted last month by BottleWise:

Vineyard2Door helping wineries sell online

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:00:56 -0400

Several weeks back, I wrote an item about a business called Vineyard2Door. It's run out of the Seattle area and is targeted at wineries struggling to sell their products online.

Gary Robertson is the guy behind Vineyard2Door. He saw a need: Wineries sold almost no wine online directly to customers because they couldn't set up their shopping carts and figuring out the state-to-state compliance issues was a nightmare.

State should be thrilled with wine industry

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:46:19 -0500

A colleague just pointed out something to me:

-- The Washington Department of Natural Resources makes a lot of money by leasing vineyard land, especially on Red Mountain, but also in other areas of the Columbia Valley.

Sorting out the Costco lawsuit

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:44:26 -0500

As you may have already read, Costco has failed in its bid to change Washington's wine distribution laws.

The bottom line was that Costco wanted to get around the state's three-tier distribution system so it could sell wines at lower prices by cutting out the middle man.

Buying the vote - wine style

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:19:22 -0500

Tom Wark of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association has issued a damning report showing alcohol wholesalers have dropped $50 million in the coffers of state election funds nationwide - and those contributions have led to the passage of laws that favor wholesalers.

Learn about government's proposed wine label changes

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 03:21:43 -0500

In case you haven't heard, the U.S. government is considering a change to wine labeling laws that would require wineries to put information on each bottle similar to the nutrition facts you see on grocery items. This change would have a deep impact on the industry. Thus, if you are or plan to be involved in the wine business, you should learn more about this.

Oregon frees Pinot Gris

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 03:08:42 -0500

Thirty years ago, Oregon growers and winemakers came up with some excellent rules for their burgeoning industry. Now, those rules have been updated for the first time.

Of the 72 wine grapes grown in Oregon, the new rules now allow 18 of them to be blended with up to 25 percent of other grapes and still be called by their varietal name (just as other states allow). And finally, Oregon producers may call Pinot Gris by its other common name, Pinot Grigio.

Can grapes trump rocks in Southern Oregon?

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 04:05:47 -0400

An article in the Medford Mail Tribune reviews a battle over land-use laws in Southern Oregon's Applegate Valley, in which a landowner wants to quarry a half-million tons of rock on his property, but the state Department of Land Conservation and Development says the best use of Phil Krouse's land is for vineyards - and recommends the state not allow the gravel operation.

We can decide wine quality standards

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 23:29:32 -0400

For a wine-loving Yank, one of the harder concepts for me to grasp is the three- and four-letter regulators in Europe. The "appellation d'origine contrôlée" or AOC in France is a certification that the wine in the bottle is, in fact, the wine in the bottle. In Italy, there's the DOC and DOCG. These refer to a lot of things, and they're steeped in history.

Calorie count

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 21:26:22 -0400

The federal government has proposed adding "nutrition facts" to wine. In other words, you'll be able to know how many calories your wine has by looking on the back. Just like that brownie mix at the store.